Get General Maintenance -> Wheels and Tyres Guide for Skoda Octavia 4 Door Third Generation (2013-2020)

160

Wheels and Tyres

Wheels

Note

Please observe the various differing legal requirements regarding tyres.

General information

 New tyres do not offer optimal grip at first and should therefore be run in for about

Tyre life

500 km at a moderate speed and an appropriately cautious style of driving. You will

also profit from longer tyre life.

 The tread depth of new tyres may differ because of design features and the config-

uration of the tread (depending on the type of tyre and the manufacturer).

 Drive over curbs on the side of the road and other such obstacles slowly and,

where possible, at a right angle in order to avoid damage to tyres and wheel trims.

 Inspect your tyres from time to time for damage (punctures, cuts, splits and

bulges). Remove foreign bodies from the tyre profile.

 Damage to tyres and wheels is frequently not visible. Unusual vibrations or pulling

Fig. 153 An opened fuel filler

flap with a tyre size and tyre

of the vehicle to one side could be a sign of tyre damage. Please reduce your speed

inflation pressure table

immediately and stop if you suspect that a wheel is damaged. Inspect the tyres for

signs of damage (bulges, splits, etc.). If no visible damage is present, please drive at an

The life of your tyres very much depends on the following points:

appropriately slow speed and carefully to the nearest specialist garage in order to have

your vehicle inspected.

Tyre pressure

 Also protect your tyres from contact with oil, grease and fuel.

The working life of tyres will be shortened considerably if the tyres are insufficiently or

 Immediately replace any dust caps of the valves which have got lost.

over-inflated and this will have an adverse effect on the handling of your vehicle.

 Mark wheels before removing them so that their previous direction of running can

Correctly inflated tyres are of particular importance when travelling at high speeds. It

be maintained when mounted them again.

is therefore good to check the pressure at least once a month and also before setting

 Always store wheels or tyres which been removed in a cool, dry and, where

off on a long trip. Please do not forget the spare wheel* when checking the tyres.

possible, dark place. Tyres which are not fixed to a wheel trim should be stored upright.

The tyre inflation pressures for summer tyres are indicated on the inside of the fuel

filler flap  fig. 153. The inflation pressures for winter tyres are 20 kPa (0.2 bar)

higher than those for summer tyres  page 163.

WARNING

 New tyres during the first 500 km do not offer optimal grip and should

The tyre pressure should be at the highest pressure specified for your vehicle at all

therefore be run appropriately - risk of accident!

times.

 Never drive with damaged tyres - risk of accident!

Always check the inflation pressure of tyres when cold. Do not reduce the higher pres-

sure of warm tyres. Adapt the inflation pressure of the tyres accordingly if your vehicle

is carrying a significantly higher payload.

Wheels and Tyres

161

Driving style

Wear indicators

Fast cornering, sharp acceleration and braking (squealing tyres) increase wear-and-

tear on your tyres.

Balancing wheels

The wheels of a new vehicle are balanced. There are a wide range of influences when

driving which may result in an imbalance and which makes themselves felt through

vibration in the steering.

You should have the wheels rebalanced since any imbalance increases wear-and-tear

on the steering, the suspension and tyres. A wheel must also be rebalanced when a

new tyre is fitted and each time a tyre is repaired.

Fig. 154 Tyre tread with wear

indicators

Wheel alignment errors

Incorrect wheel alignment at the front and rear will not only increase wear-and-tear on

The base of the tread of the original tyres has wear indicators 1.6 mm high, installed at

the tyres but will also has an adverse effect on vehicle safety. Contact your specialist

right angles to the direction of travel. These wear indicators are located at 6 - 8 points

garage if you notice any unusual tyre wear.

depending on the make and are evenly spaced around the circumference of the tyre

 fig. 154. Markings on the walls of the tyres through the letters “TWI”, triangular

WARNING

symbols or other symbols identify the position of the wear indicators.

 If the inflation pressure is too low, the tyre must perform a greater flexing

A remaining tread of just 1.6 mm, measured in the grooves of the tread next to the

wear indicators, means that your tyres have reached their legally permissible

work. At higher speeds the tyre will warm up as a result of this. This can result

minimum tread depth.

in tread separation and even a tyre blowout.

 Immediately replace the damaged rims or tyres.

WARNING

 You must have your tyres replaced with new ones at the latest when the

For the sake of the environment

wear indicators have been worn down. The legally permissible minimum tread

Tyres which are insufficiently inflated increase your fuel consumption.

depth should be observed.

 Worn tyres do not provide the necessary adhesion to the road surface at

high speeds on wet roads. One could experience “aquaplaning” (uncontrolled

movements of the vehicle - “swimming” on a wet road surface).

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162

Wheels and Tyres

Changing wheels around

replacement parts available plus the required specialist knowledge and are also in a

position to properly dispose of the old tyres. A large number of specialist garages also

have an attractive range of tyres and wheels available.

The tyre/wheel combinations which are approved for your vehicle are indicated in

your vehicle documents. Approval and licensing may differ according to the legislation

prevailing in individual countries.

Proper knowledge of the tyre data makes it easier for you to select the correct type of

tyre. Tyres do, for example, have the following inscription on their walls:

195 / 65 R 15 91 T

What this means is:

Fig. 155 Changing wheels

around

195

Tyre width in mm

If significantly greater wear is present on the front tyres, we recommend changing the

Height/width ratio in %

front wheels around with the rear wheels as shown in the diagram  fig. 155. You will

Code letter for the type of tyre - R adial

then obtain approximately the same life for all the tyres.

Diameter of wheel in inches

It may be advantageous to swap the tyres over “crosswise” when certain types of wear

characteristic arise on the running surface of the tyres (but not in the case of unidirec-

Load index

tional tyres). Specialist garages are familiar with details.

Speed symbol

We recommend that you change the wheels around every 10 000 km in order to

The following speed restrictions apply to tyres.

achieve even wear on all wheels and to obtain optimal tyre life.

Speed symbol

Permissible maximum speed

New tyres and wheels

170 km/h

Tyres and wheel rims are important design elements. One should therefore use the

180 km/h

tyres and wheel rims which have been released for use by Škoda Auto. They are exactly

190 km/h

matched to the vehicle type and therefore contribute significantly to good road

holding and safe driving characteristics 

210 km/h

Only fit radial tyres of the same type on all 4 wheels, size (rolling circumference) and,

240 km/h

if possible, the same tread pattern on one axle.

270 km/h

The specialist garages have access to the most current information about which tyres

we have released for use on your vehicle.

The date of manufacture is also stated on the tyre wall (possibly only on the inside of

wheel):

We recommend that you have any work relating to tyres or wheels carried out by a

specialist garage. Specialist garages have all of the necessary special tools and

DOT ... 50 08...

Wheels and Tyres

163

Wheel bolts

means, for example, that the tyre was manufactured in the 50th week of the year 2008.

If the spare wheel* differs from the tyres fitted to the vehicle (e.g. winter tyres or low-

Wheels and wheel bolts are matched to each other in terms of design. Each time you

profile tyres), the spare wheel* should only be used for a short time in the event of a

fit other wheels - e.g. light alloy wheels or wheels with winter tyres - you must therefore

puncture and when adopting an appropriately cautious style of driving. It should be

also use the matching wheel bolts of the correct length and shape of spherical cap. This

replaced as quickly as possible by a normal wheel.

is essential to ensure that the wheels are tightly fitted and that the brake system oper-

ates properly.

WARNING

If you retrofit wheel trims (or have this done), please also ensure that an adequate

 Only use those tyres or wheel rims which have been approved for your

flow of air remains assured for cooling the brake system.

model of Škoda Auto vehicle. Failure to observe this instruction will adversely

The specialist garages are informed about the technical possibilities which exist

affect the road safety of your vehicle - risk of accident! Approval and licencing

regarding converting or retrofitting wheels, tyres and wheel trims.

of your vehicle on public roads may also become void as a result.

 You must on no account drive at a higher speed than is permissible for your

WARNING

tyres - risk of an accident resulting from tyre damage and loss of control over

 In case of incorrect treatment of the wheel bolts, the wheel can loosen when

your vehicle.

 Tyres which are 6 years old or more should only be fitted in exceptional

the car is moving - risk of accident!

 The wheel bolts must be clean and must turn easily. However, they must

cases and when adopting an appropriately cautious style of driving.

 Never fit tyres which have already been used without having adequate

never be treated with grease or oil.

 If the wheel bolts are tightened to a too low tightening torque, the rim can

knowledge of their previous history. Tyres age even if they have not been used

at all or only very little. A spare tyre must only be used in exceptional cases and

lossen when the car is moving - risk of accident! A tightening torque which is

only then when adopting an appropriately cautious style of driving.

too high can damage the bolts and threads and this can result in permanent

 Do not, where possible, replace individual tyres but at least replace them on

deformation of the contact surfaces on the rims.

both wheels of a given axle at the same time. Always fit the tyres with the

deeper tread depth to the front wheels.

Caution

The prescribed tightening torque of the wheel bolts for steel and light alloy wheels is

For the sake of the environment

120 Nm.

Old tyres must be disposed of in conformity with the appropriate regulations.

Winter tyres

Note

The handling of your vehicle will be significantly improved when driving on wintry

It is not normally possible to fit wheels from other models of cars for technical reasons.

roads if you fit winter tyres. Summer tyres do not offer the same grip on ice, snow and

This may also apply in certain circumstances to the wheels of the same type of

at temperatures below 7 °C because of their construction (width, rubber blend, tread

vehicle.

pattern). This particularly applies to vehicles which are equipped with low-profile

tyres or high-speed tyres (code index H or V on wall of tyre).

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164

Wheels and Tyres

Winter tyres must be mounted on all four wheels to obtain the best handling charac-

7 °C - the braking distance is shorter, there is less tyre noise, tyre wear is reduced and

teristics.

fuel consumption is reduced.

You must only fit those types of winter tyre which are approved for your vehicle. The

Note

permissible sizes of winter tyres are stated in your vehicle documents. Approvals

may differ because of national legislation.

Please observe the various differing legal requirements regarding tyres.

Please remember that the tyres should be inflated to 20 kPa (0.2 bar) more than is the

case for summer tyres  page 160, fig. 153.

Snow chains

Winter tyres no longer offer the same winter performance once the tyre tread has

Snow chains must only be mounted on the front wheels.

worn down to a depth of about 4 mm.

When driving on wintry roads, snow chains improve not only traction, but also the

Ageing also causes winter tyres to lose most of their winter performance properties -

braking performance.

even in cases where the remaining tread depth is still clearly more than 4 mm.

For technical reasons, it is only permissible to fit snow chains with the following

Speed restrictions apply to winter tyres as well as to summer tyres  page 162,

wheel/tyre combinations.



You can fit winter tyres of a lower speed category to your vehicle provided that you

Wheel size

Depth (D)

Tyre size

also do not drive faster than the permissible maximum speed for such tyres, even if the

6J x 14

38 mm

175/80

possible maximum speed of your vehicle is higher. The corresponding tyre category

can damage the tyres when exceeding the permissible maximum speed.

6J x 15

38 mm

195/65

Please pay attention to the notes if you decide to fit winter tyres  page 160.

5.5J x 16

36 mm

205/55

You can also fit so-called “all-year tyres” instead of winter tyres.

Only use fine-link snow chains. They must not project more than 15 mm - including

Please contact your specialist garage if there are any points which are not clear who

the chain lock.

will be able to provide you with information regarding the maximum speed for your

Remove the full wheel trims if you wish to fit snow chains to the wheels.

tyres.

Observe the national legal requirements relating to the maximum vehicle speed with

snow chains.

WARNING

You must on no account drive your car at more than the permissible maximum

WARNING

speed for your winter tyres - risk of an accident resulting from tyre damage and

loss of control over your car.

Please pay attention to the information in the supplied fitting instructions of

the snow chain manufacturer.

For the sake of the environment

Fit your summer tyres on again in good time since summer tyres offer you better grip

and handling on roads which are free of snow and ice as well as ar temperatures below

Wheels and Tyres

165

Caution

You must take the chains off as soon as you drive on roads which are free of snow. They

adversely affect the handling of your vehicle, damage the tyres and are rapidly

destroyed.

Note

We recommend that you use snow chains from the Škoda genuine accessories.

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General Maintenance -> Wheels and Tyres for Your Skoda Octavia 4 Door Third Generation (2013-2020)

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